Since various types of food are stored in a refrigerator, odors may be easily produced from the food stored in the refrigerator and bacteria may grow therein. As the period of use of the refrigerator increases, odors and bacteria have accumulated onto inner walls and it is difficult to remove the odors and bacteria. In addition, the odors and bacteria accumulated in the refrigerator may be transferred to newly stored food and thus convenience and reliability of the refrigerator may deteriorate.
Conventionally, inner cabinets of refrigerators have been fabricated using an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) extruded sheet formed of an organic polymer by vacuum molding. Such inner cabinets fabricated in this manner have a non-uniform and rough surface formed during a vacuum molding process. As a result, odor molecules are adsorbed to injection-molded plastic surfaces so that chemical odors and food odors may remain therein.
In order to solve these problems, research has been conducted into various methods of maintaining the inside of the refrigerator in a clean state, for example, by using a coating composition applicable to the surface of the inner cabinet of the refrigerator.